When Darkness Comes
by downunder4him
Summary: Katsumi is trying to run from her past. But when it comes to drag her back into darkness, she is pulled into the myterious world of the Akatsuki and the equally dark presence of Uchiha Itachi.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer - I do NOT own Naruto. Sad day :(**

The late evening breeze blew across the lake, the sunset reflecting off of the water. A single figure stood motionless along the shore, the wind gently playing with her hair. Her eyes were closed and a small smile pulled at the corner of her lips. Were it not for the movement of her hair one would think she was a statue.

Katsumi was never much of a people person. There was something about the solitude and silence of nature that allowed her to relax. Ironic, since most people in her situation would have been terrified by the fact that they couldn't hear anything.

"Katsumi -chan!" Akiyo turned to see a mass of purple hair running towards her.

"Yumi-chan," Akiyo replied.

"Gomen Katsumi-chan, but Yuri-san has asked that you come to work early. Apparently some of his regular customers are expected today and he feels that it would be best if you were there to serve them."

A single, fine eyebrow arched quizzically before Katsumi nodded and followed Yumi towards the village. Normally she wouldn't have to come in for another hour or so. Why in the world would she need to be there now? Katsumi worked as a waitress at the village tea house and nothing ever happened there. Why couldn't the other girls handle things?

As she walked through the back door she noticed that all the girls were eagerly peering through the blinds that separated the kitchen from the dining area. After a curious glance she reached for her apron hanging from a peg near the door.

"Ah, Katsumi -chan. I'm glad you could come. Sorry for the inconvenience but as you can see," Yuri said as she gestured towards the girls huddled by the door, "these particular customers tend to keep the girls from performing their duties."'

"Why? What's so special about them?"

"Are you crazy?" one of the girls asked. "Two of them look like freaks but the others," her eyes began to sparkle dreamily, "are absolute hunks, especially the dark haired one."

Katsumi listened quietly with an air of indifference. "What village are they from?" she asked while carefully pulling her hair into a bun and holding it in place with a pair of chopsticks.

"They have no village," another girl answered. "Supposedly they are S-class criminals." Katsumi's fingers tightened momentarily around the pitcher of sake in her hand. She quickly finished preparing the tray of tea and sake that Yuri said the clients always ordered.

"So in other words," she started quietly, "you are fawning over hunted men who are murderers that would sooner kill you then look at you." The girls quieted and turned to look at her as she picked up the tray and moved toward them. "Ninjas of the five great nations kill to protect the people of their villages while S-class criminals kill because they can. They like killing and won't hesitate when it comes to delivering the death blow. They are not worth fawning over and if it were not for the fact that they may kill in anger I would refuse to serve them anything. However, seeing as I am the only one capable of keeping my head on straight I guess I have no choice in the matter." And with that, Katsumi pushed past the girls, through the curtain and into the dining room.

**I've just started writing fanfics so don't bite me. Reviews and constructive comments are welcomed by this writter (Please and Thank You)!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer - I do NOT own Naruto**

It wasn't hard to find her customers. They sat quietly in the back corner on the far side of the tea house. Their broad-brimmed hats were pulled low over their faces. As Katsumi approached she could see that the black cloaks they wore were adorned with red clouds. Only one organization wore black cloaks with red clouds, Akatsuki. That immediately made Katsumi wary. She would have been more than happy to go her whole life without encountering one of these dangerous men.

Katsumi quietly placed the tray on the table and began to place the tea and sake in front of the appropriate clients according to Yuri's instructions. Once she finished, Katsumi smiled brightly and informed them that their meal would be delivered soon.

Holding the tray under her arm, Katsumi turned briskly on her heels and headed towards the door only to feel a hand pinch her rear. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned her head slowly to face a man with long blonde hair that covered one eye. She reined in her anger as she spoke to him in flat monotone, "I would…request… that you keep your hands off me for the rest of your stay. I would hate to ruin such a relaxing moment for travelers."

Katsumi quickly crossed the dining room and entered the kitchen. She set the tray down and told them she was stepping out for some air. As she stepped into the alley her muscles relaxed a bit. She really hated men who had no respect for women. After a few moments she rolled her shoulders a bit before entering the tea house again.

Picking up the tray now loaded with food, Katsumi made her way back across the dining room. Again she began to place out the order as Yuri instructed. She was startled when the stranger on her far left suddenly spoke to her, his voice thick and raspy yet easily understood.

"You are new here, are you not?"

Katsumi glanced towards him before deciding to answer honestly. "I travel a lot and Yuri-san is kind enough to give me a job whenever I pass through. I have just never been here when you visited his establishment."

"And he decided to send you to serve us instead of one of his regular employees?"

Suddenly it clicked in Katsumi's mind. It was rather strange that a random new employee was sent to serve hunted men. 'They think I might be trying to kill them,' she thought. She finally faced the man directly, ever cautious of the remaining men at the table.

"Unfortunately, he decided this was the best arrangement. Apparently your presence has a negative effect upon the staff of this establishment."

A deep chuckle radiated behind her, "A negative effect? How is that possible since we have never done anything to this place?"

Katsumi turned to face the third member of the group before responding. "From what I can gather you tend to frighten the waitresses or they flirt and fawn over you. Seeing as they cannot serve you to the best of their abilities Yuri-san sent me instead."

"If you knew what we were capable of you would be frightened as well," the gravelly voice spoke again.

Katsumi stared blankly at the figure for a moment before answering quietly, "I have seen too much in my lifetime to be easily frightened." She bowed slightly before adding, "I apologize if my service has been lacking."

As she turned to leave she once again felt a hand on her ass and she snapped. Quick as lightening the tray was on the table, the blonde's hand held firmly in hers, and a chopstick pinned in the sleeve of the cloak only centimeters away from his arm. Katsumi's eyes narrowed as she leaned in slightly and spoke in a low tone that oozed killing intent.

"Let me make one thing very clear. I may not be a shinobi, but I do know how to take care of myself. I don't care who you are or what you're capable of, the next time a part of you touches me you are going to lose it. Do I make myself clear?" No one moved and the room became deathly quiet. When the silence was finally broken it was the by the fourth man in the group.

"Deidara, we are not here to make trouble. I suggest you keep your hands off her, it would be a shame if you died so early in your career with this organization." The one now known as Deidara snickered.

"I was merely appreciating fine art. But seeing as you don't approve of my," he let his visible eye trail her body, "appraisal I'll keep my hands to myself." Katsumi's eyes narrowed before she quickly withdrew her makeshift weapon, picked up the tray and headed towards the kitchen. As she crossed the room she could feel four pairs of eyes drilling into her back. As she parted the curtains she heard the man with the deep voice make one final comment to his companion that almost made her heart stop.

"You are getting soft Itachi."

"Hn."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer - I do NOT own Naruto**

Katsumi walked into the kitchen, the other waitresses looked at her in horror and disbelief. She had made a very stupid mistake and she knew it. Letting her anger get the best of her in front of customers that were obviously shinobi was not a wise idea. She knew she was probably in really deep shit.

She took several deep breaths then grabbed the second jar of sake as Yuri handed it to her. She crossed the dining room once again and quietly placed it on the table, quickly turning to leave when the voice she recognized as Itachi stopped her dead in her track.

"Won't you join us for a cup of tea?"

Katsumi was stiff as a board and on high alert. She licked her lips, choosing her words carefully before answering, "I am on shift. I'm afraid Yuri-san would be…displeased…if I took a break."

"We are the only customers you are serving. I'm sure a few minutes would be acceptable. I _insist_ that you join us."

Something about his tone told her there was no arguing this matter. To deny him this would ultimately lead her to a very unpleasant outcome. She grabbed a chair from the nearby table and sat down quietly. She watched warily as Itachi poured her a cup of tea, his hands moving with ease and grace. She carefully picked up the cup in front of her and hesitantly took a sip of the tea.

"You say you travel, what village are you from?"

Katsumi kept her eyes on her tea as she answered, "I don't know. My mother never told me before she died. All I can ever remember is traveling." It was a lie but she hoped Itachi would buy it.

"What about your father? Did he not tell you?"

Katsumi's eyes narrowed and her grip tightened on the cup in her hand. "He was never part of my life," she hissed. "From what my mother said about him it was a good thing too."

"You never meet him?"

"No," Katsumi responded flatly before finishing her tea. As she stood to leave though, she heard several voices calling her name. Looking towards the entrance of the tea house Katsumi saw several of the village children waving and gesturing for her to come over. A small smile pulled at her lips as she turned back towards the men at the table

"Excuse me gentleman, but it seems I am needed. Thank you for the tea."

She placed the chair back in its original position before approaching the children. She kneeled down so she was at eye level with the tiny beings as they eagerly sought her attention.

"Ok, ok. What seems to be the problem?"

"Katsumi-chan, we were asked to give this too you," one of them said excitedly as they placed a small, round box in Katsumi's hand. For something so small, it felt heavy. Katsumi froze and her eyes locked on the object in her hand when she felt something _move_ along the bottom of the box.

"Who gave this to you?" she asked without taking her eyes off the box.

"He didn't say his name. He just told us to give you the box," another child answered.

"Well, do you remember what he looked like?"

"He was wearing a cloak, but I think he had silver hair and he wore glasses," a third child answered.

"He was really nice," answered the first.

Katsumi's eyes never left the box. There really _was_ something moving around in the box and the children's description of the man only filled her with dread. She thanked the children and turned back to the tea house. She walked as if in a daze to the kitchen, setting the box on a counter in the far corner. She pulled a knife out of the drawer and approached the box again. She placed her hands on the lid and glanced behind her to make sure the other waitresses were not too close.

Certain she had room to maneuver she quickly flipped the lid off the box. As soon as the lid came off a long, black object lunged at Katsumi. She heard a scream as she quickly lashed out with the knife, two soft thuds following shortly after. The girls were whimpering and crying in the background. Katsumi ignored them as she looked into the box for anymore threats, only to pull out a long black ribbon. She looked at it in disgust as she turned to glance at the snake that now lay dead on the floor. It could only mean one thing, _he_ had finally found her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer - I do NOT own Naruto**

Katsumi quickly mumbled an excuse to Yuri before exiting the tea house, shoving the hitai-ate into her pocket as she went. Yuri could handle her customers, she didn't care. All she knew was that she had to leave before _he_ made his appearance and massacred the entire village, or worse. Ignoring the friendly greeting from the villagers she made her way to her small apartment on the edge of town.

She cautiously entered her apartment, hoping that _he_ was not there. After scanning the room and finding it empty she locked the door and windows. Her hands quickly flew through a series of seals as she placed a genjutsu on the apartment. Flying through the small space she quickly packed a small bag of food and gear. She really had no personal items so her apartment was already empty. Her last stop was in front of the stove in the kitchen. She had discovered the small compartment in the apartment shortly after her arrival and it had been well suited for storing the few things she most certainly did not want people to find.

She reached into the space beneath the boards and pulled out a weapons pouch, checking to make sure that the kunai and explosive tags were easily accessible, before strapping it onto her leg. Next came her medical pouch which she strapped to her other leg. They were followed by arm and shin guards and several additional weapons that she hid within her clothing. The last thing she pulled out was a long katana in a blood red case. After strapping it onto her back, she scanned the apartment once more for anything else she might need. Certain she had everything she released the genjutsu after scanning the area for chakra. She left her key, some money, and a note explaining her sudden departure for the land lord to find on the counter before exiting through the window and disappearing into the forest.

Night had fallen while she was packing and a full moon had risen. The light filtered in through the trees and cast everything in an eerie glow. Katsumi raced through the trees at break neck speed, hoping to put some distance between her and the village and praying to Kami-sama the _he_ would follow her. She would handle him alone, even though she knew there was little hope that she could beat him. No matter what, she would not fight him near the village when there were so many lives at stake.

She sensed the attack before she saw it. Jumping quickly to the side, she dodged the barrage of kunai and headed towards a nearby clearing. She could literally smell the trap but she knew this had been coming. He would try to trap her and force her to comply but she wasn't going down without a fight. She reached the clearing and suddenly pulled up short as a fist broke through the ground in front of her. She flipped backwards through the air and then leapt to the side as more kunai came her way. She finally skidded to a halt pulling a kunai from her pouch and holding it in a defensive position. She had made it too the relative center of the clearing and she could feel several chakra signatures around her. She suddenly found herself surrounded by five ninjas from Sound. She could feel the auras of each member and they were all oozing with killing intent. These were the shinobi that enjoyed the kill.

As she glanced over her opponents she noticed the absence of one essential character. The children's description could only match one man from Sound and he was nowhere to be seen. Then she felt it. The chakra signature she had expected and another she had dreaded.

"Katsumi-chan."

The hairs stood up on the back of her neck, her breathing stopped, and her heart rate tripled within a second. Katsumi slowly turned so that half her profile was facing the two men behind her. Kabuto, the cloaked figure the children had described, stood calmly just behind the man she hated so passionately. Orochimaru's reptilian eyes glimmered with amusement, like the predator that had finally caught his prey and was now toying with it before devouring it.

"Orochimaru," Katsumi answered, disgust dripping from the single word.

"Katsumi-chan you wound me," he answered with false hurt. "After not seeing me for five years, is that anyway to great your father?"

"Believe me, it hasn't been long enough and you are _not_ my father."

"I believe blood says differen-"

"What do you want from me, Orochimaru?"

Orochimaru was quiet for a moment before a sinister chuckle began to echo across the clearing.

"Haven't you figured it out Katsumi-chan?" he asked as he locked eyes with her. "I've come to take you back to Sound."

**I know, I know! About damn time I got out of the tea house right? Well here you go, happy now?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer - I do NOT own Naruto (But I'm making plans to steal Itachi-kun!)**

Katsumi's jaw clenched painfully tight. Did he really think he could show up with a few of his minions and have her follow him back to Sound like a lost puppy? Hell no. "I would prefer to stay right here."

Orochimaru's chuckle echoed throughout the valley. "You make it sound like you have a choice, Katsumi-chan."

Her hand tightened slightly on the kunai as she turned to face Orochimaru. She kept tabs on the five shinobi around her and cast a suspicious glance toward Kabuto. He was being far to calm during this exchange for her liking. She stood to her full height and to the casual eye she would have seemed relax. But she knew the other shinobi weren't buying it.

"I'll always have a choice Orochimaru. And for the record, I wasn't particularly thrilled with your gift Kabuto."

Kabuto pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose as a smirk pulled at his lips. "You didn't like the hitai-ate? What's wrong, is it the wrong color for your taste?"

Katsumi scowled as she reached into her pocket. She couldn't help but snicker as the shinobi's tensed at her action. She held the hitai-ate in the palm of her hand as she addressed the two shinobi before her. "You mean this rag? Though I find it quite distasteful I was actually referring to the snake that was in the box along with it. And having children deliver it, I think you're losing your creative touch Kabuto."

The smirked vanished and was replaced with an intense hatred. Orochimaru watched the exchange with an air of amusement before addressing Akiyo once again.

"Well Katsumi since you insist that you have a choice in this matter I guess I should ask you if you are going to come quietly or if you're going to resist."

Katsumi stared at him blankly for a moment before looking to the band in her hand. Her grip tightened once again as she looked up at the pair before her, her eyes hard. "I will not be used as your tool again."

Katsum's actions were too quick for two of the shinobi. The one to her left fell to the ground with a kunai in his heart and to her right came the sickening sound of her hitai-ate bursting through the others skull. Katsumi jumped away as she drew a kunai and explosive note from her pouch and launched it towards the remaining shinobi. The explosion rocked the ground and threw smoke into the air. Katsumi landed soundlessly and instantly moved into action. It was over in a matter of seconds and by the time the smoke cleared all five of Orochimaru's minions lay dead in the clearing and Katsumi was racing through the trees yet again.

She had to put distance between herself the Sannin and his deranged medic. She dodged and weaved through the branches. She knew they would follow her and sure enough she felt their chakras approaching her. What startled her even more was the sudden feeling of other faint chakra sources. Her attempt to further isolate the foreign chakras distracted her long enough to prevent her from fully dodging the hail of kunai headed her way. One lodged into her leg and a second into her left arm. She winched in pain and missed her next step. She managed to shift her position enough to land on her feet, only to be tackled to the ground.

She grunted as a body landed fully upon her and knocked the breath from her lungs. Kabuto's glasses pinched her face as he placed his mouth by her ear. "Well Katsumi-chan, seems like you've lost this little game. Tell me, what is my prize?" Kabuto nipped at her earlobe as she jerked away in disgust. "Orochimaru-sama did say I could have a hand in breaking you. Perhaps I could start now, no?"

Katsumi felt his hand move down to her thigh. She squirmed in a desperate attempt to get away but it was useless. She felt Orochimaru a few paces back as he watched what was happening. As Kabuto hand began to move back up her leg she squeezed her eyes shut to try and escape from reality, desperately seeking a plan. As his hand moved back up her thigh he leaned down to whisper one final message. "Why Orochimaru-sama would want you is beyond me. He always said your mother was pathetic and from what I've seen you are no different."

Katsumi's eyes snapped open and her blood boiled. In a fit of rage, she threw her weight into Kabuto and managed to throw him off. Before he could retaliate she threw a chakra infused fist into his gut. He flew backward as the punch nicked his gut but he managed to avoid most of the blow. Akiyo kept her head down and her eyes closed as she breathed deeply to control her anger. After a deep breath she spoke in a voice so frighteningly calm that it could have made flames freeze.

"Insult me as much as you want Kabuto. But never insult my mother." And when she finally looked up her eyes were ablaze with the crimson color of the Sharingan.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer - I do NOT own Naruto (But Itachi-kun will soon be mine!)**

The look of shock on Orochimaru and Kabuto's faces was priceless. Had she not been so pissed Katsumi would have burst out laughing. She glared at the pair before her as she quickly calculated strategies. She knew she couldn't really beat the pair, one on one maybe, but not when they were together. Her best bet was to wound them and escape while they recovered. She pulled the kunai from her body and channeled healing chakra into her hand. She brushed her hands over the wounds to stop the bleeding before leaping back to put more distance between them. Orochimaru studied her for a moment as his reptilian tongue licked his lips.

"Amazing," he said. "You have greatly improved in five years. Your Sharingan has fully developed. Let's see how well you can actually us it."

Orochimaru was a blur as he moved. Katsumi spun around to block the incoming attack. Orochimaru's eyes were sharp and focused as he stared her down. She quickly brought her foot up towards his gut, enhancing the move with a precise amount of chakra. He dodged, barely. As he landed Kabuto made his move.

Rushing towards her Katsumi could see his hands glowing with his destructive chakra. Using her Sharingan to track his moves, Katsumi dodged every move he made. Seeing an opening, she thrust her hand forward, edging it with her own killer chakra. She grazed his chest, severing the muscles in his upper torso and just missing his heart. Kabuto leapt away gasping for breath. The lack of functioning muscles was affecting his ability to breath and he had to stop and heal himself or he would eventually suffocate. To buy her more time she quickly approached Kabuto and yanked his chin up, using the Sharingan to create a genjutsu that would keep him out of the way.

Ignoring Kabuto for the moment she began to search for the Snake Sannin. She leapt away as the ground beneath her shattered and snakes reached out to grab her. Quickly forming the seals, she put her fingers to her lips as she breathed a fireball towards the reptiles, incinerating them instantly. Orochimaru burst out of the ground and leapt away. Akiyo couldn't help but smirk when she noticed that she had managed to burn a bit of his shirt.

"Either your getting slower or I'm getting faster, Orochimaru," Katsumi said as she bent down into an attack position.

Orochimaru frowned as he took his own stance. He bit his thumb before bringing his hands together and quickly forming seals. Katsumi studied his moves with her sharigan and her eyes widened a bit as she realized what he was doing. Forming seals of her own as quickly as she could they bought slapped their hands to the ground.

"Kuckiyoso no jutsu," they cried as smoke filled the air.

The smoke cleared to reveal Orochimaru and Akiyo atop their snake summons. She knew Orochimaru outranked her in experience, but she had the advantage of surprise. Orochimaru hadn't known that she could summon snakes and so he didn't know exactly what she was capable of. Kabuto materialized beside Orochimaru, still healing his wounded chest with a feral look in his eye. A smirk crept onto her face, oh yeah he was pissed.

Orochimaru made the first move, his snake lunging at her snake summon's throat. Katsumi's snake dodged quickly and drew her head back as she prepared to counter attack. Akiyo formed a series of hand seals and directed a blast of fire towards the sludge that the snake had begun to project from her mouth. Orochimaru's snake hissed in pain as bits of flaming sludge stuck to his skin. Katsumi's eye furrowed, this was way too easy. Just as quickly as the thought entered her head she felt the searing pain of chakra slicing through her calves. Katsumi cried out in pain as she spun around and made brutal contact with Kabuto's arm. He had protected his face, but the impact of her chakra infused punch shattered his arm and sent him flying backward.

"You bastard," she growled through gritted teeth as her legs gave out. She quickly turned her attention back to the Sannin, who was moving to attack her again. Her Sharingan blazed to life as Orochimaru made the mistake of making direct eye contact. They quickly evolved into something more complicated as she quickly uttered words that had terrified many before, "Mangykou Sharingan."

Orochimaru seemed to freeze but his snake did not and Katsumi was forced to move away as the snakes slammed into each other. With a loud pop both creatures vanished from the decimated clearing. Focusing her chakra into her hands she quickly tried to heal her severed tendons. Before she was even halfway through she faltered as she heard a cruel chuckle echo across the clearing. She turned her head to find Orochimaru looking at her, a triumphant smirk on his face.

"Well done Katsumi-chan," he complimented. "You have managed to obtain the next level of the Sharingan. I must say you use it quite well for someone with no proper training in its use. But I'm afraid playtime is over. It's time for you to come home."

"Never," Akiyo said through gritted teeth as she intensified the amount of healing chakra directed into her leg. Orochimaru cocked his head to the side as he extended his arms toward her.

"You really do not have a choice this time," he said as snakes shot out of his arm.

She watched helplessly as the snakes shot off Orochimaru's arms and reached for her. She couldn't heal her legs fast enough; he was going to get her. Her eyes narrowed as her only option was made clear, she refused to become his tool yet again. She reached into her pouch and withdrew a kunai. Orochimaru's eyes widen as he sensed what she was planning and tried to make the snakes move faster. A wry smile crept onto her face as she turned the kunai and brought it towards her heart. She closed her eyes as she prepared herself for death…only to be stopped as a hand clamped down on her wrist like a vise as the sound of metal cutting through flesh was heard. Katsumi's eyes snapped open in surprise, only to be met with red clouds. She slowly looked upward and her jaw dropped as she locked with a pair of crimson eyes that matched her own. The one who had stopped her was _Uchiha Itachi._

**If Katsumi reminds of Sakura well tough luck. I'm trying to take Sakura's bad ass fighting skills, blend them with an Uchiha's, and put it all in a hotter and tougher version of the pink haired kunochi. Don't like the idea then too bad. Because this is my story! MINE, MINE, MWAHAHAHAHAHA! Please review, THANK YOU!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer - I do NOT own Naruto (If Itachi or Gaara disappears I had nothing to do with it)**

Katsumi must have looked like goldfish as she stared up at the murderer of the Uchiha clan, mouth hanging open. He held a kunai in front of him and the snakes who had been heading toward her lay dead on the forest floor. As quickly as he had grabbed her Itachi yanked her to her feet and spun her so that her back was to his chest. Katsumi stifled a yelp of pain as she struggled to pull away, a difficult task considering she had not finished healing her legs. Her struggles stilled the instant Itachi's blood stained kunai was placed at her throat. Katsumi glared straight ahead, not even looking toward Orochimaru as she tried to think of a plan. She drew a blank.

"Itachi," Orochimaru hissed. "I would appreciate it if you would hand over the…"

He never finished his sentence as he dodged a barrage of senbon needles. From the darkness emerged three other figures. Katsumi hadn't expected Atkatsuki to follow her after she had left the tea house. Obviously they had found her to be of interest…or they had sensed Kabuto's chakra on the box just as she had.

"I'm afraid we can't do that Orochimaru," echoed the raspy voice of one of the men. "And you and I have a score to settle." As she glanced toward the figure she noticed his appearance had changed drastically. He now resembled a hunch back, a scrap of cloth hiding the lower half of his face and Katsumi could see what appeared to be long metal tail.

"Ah, Sasori-san," Orochimaru spoke with false joy. "So pleasant to see you, but I'm afraid we will have to cut this little reunion short. It seems I'm outnumbered and actually running low on chakra. I'd hate to give you such an easy fight. However, if you know what's good for you, you will keep the girl alive. I'm sure we can reach an agreeable compromise."

"Coward," Katsumi muttered as she struggled against Itachi's hold. She stilled when the kunai pressed a little harder into her throat, uttering a curse under her breath. She glared at Orochimaru as Kabuto appeared by his side, wounds fully healed. With a few quick seals the pair disappeared in a puff of smoke as Sasori launched a handful of kunai towards them, only to have them pass through nothingness.

"Awww, well there goes that plan for a fun evening. I guess we could always turn to plan B," Deidara said as he leered at Katsumi.

"That threat still stands you bastard," Katsumi growled through clenched teeth her eyes still blazing with the crimson of the Sharingan.

"Bold words for someone who can't use their legs," said the man next to her. From what she had learned he had to be Kisame, Itachi's partner. His skin really was blue and slung across his shoulder was Sahamade.

"Big club for a walking fish stick," Katsumi shot back. Kisame gave a hearty guffaw.

"It seems Orochimaru knows how to make them. Pretty and feisty," Kisame said with a smirk.

"Believe me I get all my good traits from my mother. Now unhand me Uchiha-san," Katsumi demanded as she tried to peel his arms away from her. Itachi's grip tightened and she let out a small whimper of pain. Apparently she had cracked a couple ribs in her fall. With the adrenalin rush coming to an end she was really beginning to ache.

"Deactivate your Sharingan and stop struggling," Itachi's voice rolled across her ears and she gave a slight shudder at the feeling of his breath on her ear. "If you don't sit still we won't be able to treat your wounds." Katsumi growled.

"I happen to be a med-nin as well as a capable fighter if you didn't notice while you were spying. Kindly put me down so I can undo the damage Kabuto did to my legs before I lose them." She could hear the men snicker as she spoke and she glared at them with all the venom she could muster as she let her Sharingan fade.

"If you try to run we won't hesitate to kill you," Itachi said.

"Do you really think that I'm that stupid," she hissed. "I only have enough chakra to heal myself and stay alive. If I was going to run I would wait for a more opportune moment."

Without so much as a word Itachi withdrew the kunai and let her go. Unable to support her own weight, Katsumi promptly fell to the ground with a pained gasp. She shot an annoyed glance toward the Uchiha and he stared back with an unreadable expression. Muttering curses under her breath Katsumi focused on healing her legs. After she finished she scanned her chest to find that she had indeed cracked two ribs and broken a third. She gave a small hiss as the broken rib snapped back into place. She felt four pairs of eyes on her and she furrowed her brows in a mixture of frustration and concentration.

Katsumi's chakra wavered and slowly began to dwindle. She focused the last of her energy on patching up her damaged ribs and making sure there was no internal bleeding. As she finished she released her jutsu and the healing chakra vanished from around her hand. She pushed herself up and managed to get to her feet. She turned slowly to face the men behind her.

"Now whhhaaa…," her world tipped precariously. She suddenly felt very heavy and the ground began to rush toward her. 'Shit,' she cursed as she felt her eyes close. Funny, she never felt herself hit the ground.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer - I do NOT own Naruto (However, Mission Capture Itachi is now under way!)**

Everything was a blur as Katsumi slowly opened her eyes. She closed her eyes and groaned in pain. She had to stop drinking Yuri-san's special mixture of green tea, it made her have the craziest dreams.

"Oi, I think the snake girls awake, yeah," said a voice that seemed vaguely familiar.

Katsumi slowly peeled her eyes back open and glanced to her left. Seated around a campfire were three members of Akatsuki. She figured the fourth had to be on watch somewhere. She sighed as she struggled to raise herself into a sitting position.

"I wouldn't move so much if I were you," came a smooth voice from directly behind Katsumi's shoulder. She jumped a bit and clutched her side in pain as she turned to face the stoic Uchiha beside her. "Your wounds will open up again if you move too much."

Katsumi glared at him before pulling up the lower part of her shirt to examine her wound. A large bandage had been wrapped around her lower torso and as she prodded the wound through the bandages she couldn't believe she had missed it. It stretched from front to back across her left side and it felt like it had been pretty deep. Someone had obviously stitched her up. It was then that she realized that the shirt she was wearing wasn't hers. Katsumi growled in anger. She held the shirt away from her body as she glared at the men before her.

"And who may I ask does this belong too?"

"Don't get so uptight, yeah," answered Deidara. "The shirt belongs to Itachi, we couldn't leave you in those bloody close after Sasori fixed you up, un."

She glared at the man Deidara had pointed to, or should she say boy. The individual before her couldn't be more then eighteen years old. But judging from her wound he was obviously skilled in that area.

"I guess I owe you my thanks," she muttered. "But what I can't understand is why I'm still alive. I thought it was Atkatsuki's job to murder and slaughter, not save and heal."

"You are currently of more use to us alive then dead. We believe your father will be more than willing to negotiate a bargain for your safe return," Sasori said calmly. Katsumi shot him a glare that could freeze hell.

"If you ever refer to that monster as my father again I swear I will make it so you can never see or speak again before you can even blink," she said with a tone so malicious it could make a demon choke. "And would you stop hovering over me," she growled as she turned to face Itachi. "I hate having people behind me, especially crazy, murdering shinobi."

Itachi stared down at her impassively before moving towards his companions. He seated himself next to Kisame and kept a wary eye on Katsumi as she continued to prod her injury. She looked at Kisame then at the sword by his side.

"I'm guessing you drained what little chakra I had left?" Kisame gave her a toothy grin as he leaned against the tree behind him. "Why would I leave you with any chakra? I've seen what Itachi's Sharingan can do and I have no desire to experience yours."

"If you had left me some chakra I could heal myself. Instead I have to deal with the long-term healing process. Stupid Sahamade and it's chakra draining abilities." Kisame was in front of her the second the statement left her mouth.

"And how does a shrimp like you know so much about my weapon?"

"Please," she muttered as she looked at him with a hearty helping of disbelief. "I spent the first twelve years of my life trapped in a snake pit with Orochimaru. With the exception of the blonde I know everything about you that Orochimaru does. He trained me to be able to fight…and kill you."

"So Orochimaru underestimated me, yeah? How disappointing," Deidara said as Kisame backed away. Katsumi raised a single brow as she looked at the blonde. "I think it has more to do with the fact that you filled in the vacancy he left when he abandoned Akatsuki. You weren't there for him to observe and I escaped before he had collected data on you."

"You say you escaped, were you his prisoner?" asked Sasori quietly. Akiyo looked at him for a long moment before answering just as quietly, "Is anyone ever truly free under Orochimaru?"

"You bear no curse seal. I would have thought Orochimaru would have placed one on you to control you?" Katsumi glanced toward Itachi, the one who had spoken, before turning and staring off into the darkness.

"He had, you might say, a trump card. He had kept my mother alive and he used her to keep me under control. He also couldn't risk losing me; only about 10% of Orochimaru's victims survive the curse seal. After all, Sharingan wielders are in short supply."

"Why keep your mother around?" asked Deidara.

"Because he needed someone with experience to teach me how to use the Sharingan," answered Katsumi. "I may have been a genius by birth, but even a genius needs help sometimes."

"So if you escaped, what happened to your mother?" asked Kisame.

Katsumi bit her lip before answering, "Itachi of all people should know what is required to activate the Mangykou Sharingan." She looked up and locked eyes with the murder of the Uchiha clan. He studied her for a moment before speaking calmly.

"To obtain the Mangykou, you must kill your closest friend." The other men glanced back and forth between the pair before Deidara ventured to speak. "So… you…"

"Yes," interrupted Katsumi she maintained eye contact with the Uchiha. "My mother was my closest and only friend. She told me that the only way I could ever escape was to sever all control methods Orochimaru had over me. So, I killed my own mother."


End file.
